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Roatan and Bay Islands Discussion List Archive
| Posted On: | 11-May-2003 |
| From: | adrienne larkin [alarkin.....com] |
| Subject: | Re: [roatan] Roatan Trip Report |
I am very concerned about the jet skiers that Pete talks about. Jet skiers are noisy, polluting, aggravating, dangerous to people and to the reef. I HATE jet skiers. We are buying property in Roatan and will be EXTREMELY upset if jet skiers find a niche here. If it isn't illegal, it should be. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to go about enforcing a ban on these atrocities? I am ready to do something, just tell me what to do. ALarkin From: "Pete" Reply-To: roatan.....com Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 10:09:12 -0700 To: Subject: [roatan] Roatan Trip Report Just returned yesterday from a week of diving on the island and wanted to pass along our experiences. Weather: Quite windy all week but that helped keep the heat and bugs down. Noticed the smoke one or two days but not bad. Still recommend air conditioning for those gringos like us from the Northwest who are not accustomed to the humidity and strong sun. The winds didn't have any negative impact on diving from the North shore around West End/West Bay but severly impacted all diving on the Southern coast. We did dive Mary's Place (Southern coast) but the swells were 4' - 6' feet which made it a real challenge ! Diving: Very healthy reefs, an abundance of swim-throughs but was disappointed with rather sparse amount of sea life compared to other Caribbean diving. Perhaps that was a result of the areas we dove - primarily North coast, from around Anthony's Key Resort to the western tip of the island. Went on the shark dive (So. coast out of Las Palmas) and except for the seas, it was a novel experience. Probably 12 - 15 reef sharks, 4' to 8' long, cruised within 2' of us at times. Lots of big groupers also looking for handouts. Killer surge at the boat - lost my lunch - wife didn't - I'll never hear the end of it! Don't forget (as I did) to add some sort of motion-sickness remedy to your packing list if you're affected. Some thimble jellies but didn't cause a problem for any of us - wear a full skin or 3 mil suit. One of our divemasters went bare a week or so prior to our arrival and was covered with stings. Remember to tip your divemasters and boat captains - they work hard and aren't getting rich! One thing I would recommend all divers to do - make a point to your tell your dive operations they need to be more safety conscious - carry oxygen ! I can't speak for all the operations but based on what we experienced and saw - most all the small operators do not carry oxygen. It's such a small expense and can be life-saving in case of DCS. Bugs: Like everyone, we were bitten by no-see-ums and mosquitos. The no-see-um bites were plentiful but didn't seem to itch or cause anyone any problems. The mosquitos were more of a problem if you didn't wear repellent. We used Cactus Juice which worked very well and also provided sunscreen (spf 20). Food: We ate at Lighthouse, Argentinean Grill, Bite on the Beach, Half Moon Bay, Fosters in West Bay for breakfast, Rick's American Grill, and Las Rocas' restaurant. They were all pretty good but Rick's Amer Grill had the best steaks by far and a great atmosphere. Las Rocas dinners were excellent also. Very tough, chewy steak (Entrecote?) at the Argentinean Grill. Good drinks and brownie dessert at Eagle Ray. One note on Wave Runners/jet skis in West End. Our divemasters were very concerned about them. First, they believe that they are illegal per Marine park rules but this restriction is not enforced. Serious concern that whoever operates the rental does not give sufficient advice to renters to be aware of snorkelers/diver flags/dive boats and proximity of reefs to the surface. We also witnessed this lack of awareness as the jet skis buzzed right over reefs that were only a foot or so under the surface. Arrival/Departure: Get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight. They thoroughly hand-inspect all bags (to the point of fanning the pages of thin notebooks!) and the check-in line is formidable. It seemed they inspected every bag early on, then occasionally passed some folks through as boarding time approached. Also, remove all batteries from flashlights - they scrutinized the interior switches and even the light bulbs. You'll pay US$2 at arrival for the luggage x-ray machine fee (yep, they x-ray the checked luggage in-bound, but not out-bound) and, in addition to the US$25 departure tax, another $2 at departure for the carry-on baggage x-ray and walk-thru metal-detector fee. All in all - a great experience - we hearitly recommend making Roatan a destination whether diving or not ! Pete & Nancy Rent DVDs from home. Over 14,500 titles. Free Shipping & No Late Fees. Try Netflix for FREE! | |
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